Nagaland government seeks more time in indigenous status case

DIMAPUR — Nagaland government has sought more time to file an additional affidavit in two public interest litigations challenging the state's norms for granting Indigenous Inhabitant status, with the Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court listing the cases for the third week of January 2027.

The government told a division bench of Justice Budi Habung and Justice Pranjal Das on Wednesday that the affidavit was ready but the officer required to sign it was out of station.

Advocate General KN Balgopal, assisted by Additional Advocate Generals V Suokhrie and Imti Imsong, sought further time, following which the court directed the respondents to file the additional affidavit in the meantime.

The cases, filed by the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) and the Angami Public Organisation (APO), challenge the state's framework for issuing Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates. The November 11 order also recorded that none appeared for the petitioner during the hearing.

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The NTC, in its PIL (4/2025), has questioned the norms notified by the Home department on September 20, 2024, alleging that they diluted recommendations made by a commission constituted in 2019 to examine the issue and formulate recommendations concerning the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).

The council has contended that the 2024 norms departed from the safeguards recommended by the commission and could enable non-indigenous persons to obtain Indigenous Inhabitant status.

The issue traces back to a government notification issued on April 28, 1977, which prescribed three criteria for recognising indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland.